Post by antigua on Aug 6, 2017 19:17:58 GMT -5
BYO is offering two Telecaster pickups sets; one low, and one higher output set, the Twister and the Vortex respectively. Both sets cost only $60, and feature premium specifications, such as nickel silver covers, cloth hookup wire, AlNiCo pole pieces and fiber bobbins with beveled edged. The neck pickups have tape wrapped coils, with vintage paper tape (like a PAF coil), so if you want extra high end clarity from the neck pickups, you can remove the cover, and have a protected coil and peace of mind.
There's some evidence that these BYO pickups are related to Tonerider, reviewed here guitarnuts2.proboards.com/thread/7917/tonerider-alnico-blues-analysis-review . Both are presumably made in China. There are some small details where they differ. Where they differ, quality slightly favors the BYO. For example, the BYO uses vintage paper tape, where as Tonerider had used an equally nice, but modern style cloth tape. Tonerider also uses a lighter colored fiber board, where as the BYO's I've seen all feature the 50's style black colored fiber flat work.
To date, these BYO's are the most vintage correct pickups I've seen on the market, for the lowest price point. Furthermore, I can find no manner in which these are inferior to more expensive "boutique" pickups, such as those offered by Fralin and others. BYO and Tonerider have applied domestic attention to detail to import product.
BYO Twister Telecaster Set
www.byoguitar.com/Guitars/Twister---Vintage-Tele-Pickups__BYO-TWISTER-SET.aspx
This lower output set uses AlNiCo 5 pole pieces. Based on inductance and loaded resonance metrics, this set is considered exceptionally under wound compared to most on the market. There is no Fender set as low output as these. They compare to the Tonerider Vintage Plus fairly closely, but are not as low output as the Bill Lawrence Keystones, which is the lowest output aftermarket set I've come across to date.
The resonance seen in the bode plot below confirm that the neck cover is nickel silver.
I haven't installed this set yet, but generally speaking, the higher the output, the more "growl" you get, the lower the output, the more "twang", so I suspect these things will be true "twang kings".
Bridge
- DC Resistance: 6.39K ohms
- Measured L: 2.398H
- Calculated C: 176pF (186 - 10)
- Gauss: 1150G
Bridge unloaded: dV: 12.6dB f: 8.17kHz (black)
Bridge loaded (200k & 470pF): dV: 6.1dB f: 3.94kHz (red)
Neck
- DC Resistance: 6.88K ohms
- Measured L: 2.044H
- Calculated C: 138pF (148 - 10)
- Gauss: 1050G
Neck unloaded: dV: 4.3dB f: 9.16kHz (green)
Neck loaded (200k & 470pF): dV: 4.1dB f: 4.08kHz (gray)
...***...~~~ ...***...~~~ ...***...~~~ ...***...~~~ ...***...~~~ ...***...~~~
BYO Vortex Hot Telecaster Set
www.byoguitar.com/Guitars/Vortex---Vintage-Hot-Tele-Pickups__BYO-VORTEX-SET.aspx
Though this is a hotter wound set than the Vortex, it's rather average for a Telecaster set, in general. Since the Telecaster bridge pickup is larger, and the neck pickup uses finer 43 AWG wire, Tele pickups tend to end up hotter than Stratocaster pickups, as pickups winders in the 50's tended to keep winding until the bobbin looked full, and what you got is what you got.
The inductance and loaded peak measurements make this set similar to the Fender Original Vintage set. The AlNiCo 2 poles used in the BYO set are substantially similar to the AlNiCo 3 used in the Original Vintage, and a handful of other Telecaster pickup sets.
Bridge
- DC Resistance: 9.33K ohms
- Measured L: 3.877H
- Calculated C: 119pF (129 - 10)
- Gauss: 600G
Bridge unloaded: dV: 9.4dB f: 7.13kHz (black)
Bridge loaded (200k & 470pF): dV: 3.9dB f: 3.03kHz (red)
Neck
- DC Resistance: 7.44K ohms
- Measured L: 2.637H
- Calculated C: 121pF (131 - 10)
- Gauss: 500G
Neck unloaded: dV: 3.1dB f: 8.55kHz (green)
Neck loaded (200k & 470pF): dV: 3.5dB f: 3.55kHz (gray)
There's some evidence that these BYO pickups are related to Tonerider, reviewed here guitarnuts2.proboards.com/thread/7917/tonerider-alnico-blues-analysis-review . Both are presumably made in China. There are some small details where they differ. Where they differ, quality slightly favors the BYO. For example, the BYO uses vintage paper tape, where as Tonerider had used an equally nice, but modern style cloth tape. Tonerider also uses a lighter colored fiber board, where as the BYO's I've seen all feature the 50's style black colored fiber flat work.
To date, these BYO's are the most vintage correct pickups I've seen on the market, for the lowest price point. Furthermore, I can find no manner in which these are inferior to more expensive "boutique" pickups, such as those offered by Fralin and others. BYO and Tonerider have applied domestic attention to detail to import product.
BYO Twister Telecaster Set
www.byoguitar.com/Guitars/Twister---Vintage-Tele-Pickups__BYO-TWISTER-SET.aspx
This lower output set uses AlNiCo 5 pole pieces. Based on inductance and loaded resonance metrics, this set is considered exceptionally under wound compared to most on the market. There is no Fender set as low output as these. They compare to the Tonerider Vintage Plus fairly closely, but are not as low output as the Bill Lawrence Keystones, which is the lowest output aftermarket set I've come across to date.
The resonance seen in the bode plot below confirm that the neck cover is nickel silver.
I haven't installed this set yet, but generally speaking, the higher the output, the more "growl" you get, the lower the output, the more "twang", so I suspect these things will be true "twang kings".
Bridge
- DC Resistance: 6.39K ohms
- Measured L: 2.398H
- Calculated C: 176pF (186 - 10)
- Gauss: 1150G
Bridge unloaded: dV: 12.6dB f: 8.17kHz (black)
Bridge loaded (200k & 470pF): dV: 6.1dB f: 3.94kHz (red)
Neck
- DC Resistance: 6.88K ohms
- Measured L: 2.044H
- Calculated C: 138pF (148 - 10)
- Gauss: 1050G
Neck unloaded: dV: 4.3dB f: 9.16kHz (green)
Neck loaded (200k & 470pF): dV: 4.1dB f: 4.08kHz (gray)
...***...~~~ ...***...~~~ ...***...~~~ ...***...~~~ ...***...~~~ ...***...~~~
BYO Vortex Hot Telecaster Set
www.byoguitar.com/Guitars/Vortex---Vintage-Hot-Tele-Pickups__BYO-VORTEX-SET.aspx
Though this is a hotter wound set than the Vortex, it's rather average for a Telecaster set, in general. Since the Telecaster bridge pickup is larger, and the neck pickup uses finer 43 AWG wire, Tele pickups tend to end up hotter than Stratocaster pickups, as pickups winders in the 50's tended to keep winding until the bobbin looked full, and what you got is what you got.
The inductance and loaded peak measurements make this set similar to the Fender Original Vintage set. The AlNiCo 2 poles used in the BYO set are substantially similar to the AlNiCo 3 used in the Original Vintage, and a handful of other Telecaster pickup sets.
Bridge
- DC Resistance: 9.33K ohms
- Measured L: 3.877H
- Calculated C: 119pF (129 - 10)
- Gauss: 600G
Bridge unloaded: dV: 9.4dB f: 7.13kHz (black)
Bridge loaded (200k & 470pF): dV: 3.9dB f: 3.03kHz (red)
Neck
- DC Resistance: 7.44K ohms
- Measured L: 2.637H
- Calculated C: 121pF (131 - 10)
- Gauss: 500G
Neck unloaded: dV: 3.1dB f: 8.55kHz (green)
Neck loaded (200k & 470pF): dV: 3.5dB f: 3.55kHz (gray)